May 27, 1916 



HOKTICULTUEE 



727 



BOSTON MAY FLOWER SHOW. 



First Prize Rose Exliibit by F. R. Pierson Co., Tarrytown, N. Y. 



fabulous prices for seed which did not 

 represent a fixed type, realizing that 

 the high prices obtained for the waved 

 flowers would permit a severe roguing 

 in the bed or bench, or a careful as- 

 sorting of blooms after they were cut. 



The field of sale for seed of forcing 

 sweet peas is very limited, and while 

 watching the work of George W. Kerr 

 at Fordhook I always had in mind the 

 fact that it was better to "make haste 

 slowly." One of the strains of the 

 modern winter flowering sweet pea 

 which I have had the pleasure of 

 watching develop represents practic- 

 ally six years of hard and patient 

 work on the part of Mr. Kerr, and 

 after repeated trials we were forced 

 to concede that it was better and 

 more sure to start at the bottom and 

 work up slowly in his way. 



As in all other lines of horticultural 

 work, the seedsman Is forever on the 

 lookout for something better and those 

 firms who maintain extensive experi- 

 mental grounds always have a great 

 number of selections coming on, the 

 majority of which the public will 

 never hear of. This applies to sweet 

 peas as well as to other blooming 

 plants. 



The following questions, put by a 

 commercial grower, were answered by 

 Mr. Earl at the conclusion of his ad- 

 dress. 



1. What le the beet treatment of wlnter- 

 flowerlng Spencer sweet peas, planted In a 

 carnation bencn, to produce seed? 



As sweet peas grown under glass 

 will not set seed until towards the end 

 of April, nothing would be gained by 

 starting the seed very early in the fall. 

 Therefore, as there would be no ad- 

 vantage in allowing the flowers to re- 



main on the vines, meanwhile would 

 advise cutting them regularly until 

 towards the middle of April. 



2. And how soon ought they to set seed? 

 If the plants referred to have been 



flowering now for some time, they 

 should be given regular applications of 

 liquid manure and perhaps a top dress- 

 ing of thoroughly rotted manure, the 

 desire being to keep them growing 

 strongly until the period when they 

 would be likely to produce the most 

 seed. 



3. There are a few vines I particularly 

 want to get all the seed of that Is possi- 

 ble. 



As the days get longer and the sun, 

 naturally, much stronger, the vines are 

 likely to be attacked by the green fly, 

 and, unless this is seen to in time, the 

 plants might be so badly crippled as 

 to preclude any chance of seed setting. 

 It is, therefore, well to fumigate the 

 house at intervals of ten days or so 

 as "Prevention is better than cure." 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF 



WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA. 

 The meeting oC this Society held in 

 the Annex Hotel, Pittsburgh, was an 

 Interesting event. Among the speak- 

 ers were W. E. Marshall of New York 

 City, Mr. McCullom of the U-Bar Com- 

 pany, Michael Curren, gardener for 

 Mrs. W. M. Home, Scwickley Heights, 

 and Wm. Murphy, supt. for Henry Lee 

 Mason, Sewickley Heights. Walter 

 James of the W. Henry R. Hilliard 

 place, received a cultural certificate 

 for Spiraea Gladstone and Michael 

 Curren got a certificate of merit for 

 hybrid calceolarias. A certificate of 

 merit was also given to Wm. Murphy 

 for seedling anthuriums. 



MOVEMENTS OF GARDENERS. 



Peter G. Brough has taken charge 

 of the "Wenga Estate," Armonk, N. Y. 



David Ridpath has been appointed 

 head gardener for J. W. Johnson, New 

 Brunswick, N. Y. 



H. Taylor succeeds D. Hothersall as 

 superintendent on the George Bullock 

 place at Oyster Bay, N. Y. 



William Ford has accepted the su- 

 perintendency of the A. E. Smith es- 

 tate ai Oyster Bay, N. Y. 



Harry Jones, formerly of Glen Cove, 

 N. Y., is now gardener for the R. A. 

 Strong estate, Portchester, N. Y. 



Andrew P. Clarkson goes from Ded- 

 ham, Mass., tc take charge of the es- 

 tate of Mrs. A. R. Meyer at Kansas 

 City, Mo. 



M. J. Collings, recently of Rich- 

 mond, Va., has removed to Litchfield, 

 Conn., where he has charge of the 

 B. S. Clark estate. 



David Hothersall, recently of Oyster 

 Bay, N. Y., has accepted the position 

 of superintendent of the Du Pont es- 

 tate, Wilmington, Del. 



The new superintendent for Mre. 

 A. S. Alexander's place in Roslyn, N. 

 Y., is Alexander Robinson, fornierly at 

 Catasauqua, Pa. 



Andrew Forsyth, gardener in charge 

 of the grounds of John Daub, Pitts- 

 burgh, Pa., who has been seriously ill 

 for some time, has returned from 

 Hamilton, Ontario, and Lenox, Mass., 

 much improved in health. During his 

 stay at Lenox he was the guest of 

 Alexander McLeod. 



